1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to toilets used as male urinals and provides low cost and effective urination noise reduction and splash reduction without undue complexity and with self-rinsing features.
The use of a common toilet or water closet as a male urinal has the well known disadvantage of creating loud and often embarrasing noise when the urine stream makes contact with the toilet bowl water. A common practice is to attempt to prevent the noise by directing the urine stream against the inner wall at the back or side which is located within a small angle and at a small distance from the toilet bowl rim. When thus directed, a certain amount of the urine lands substantially outside of the toilet bowl on the rim or at the back, and on the floor. This result requires unnecessary cleanup effort and creates an odorous and unsanitary condition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Each of the various prior art urination noise or splash suppression devices addresses the noise problem with screens, baffles, troughs, and the like, attached to the toilet bowl rim or seat. These devices provide additional surfaces, crevices, hinges, screws, and screens which require periodic cleaning and are relatively expensive to produce.
A simple system such as a smooth floating object like a sphere or polyhedron that is sufficiently large to provide a substantial target at which to aim the urine stream and one that is also smooth and self-rinsing and remains relatively clean would be a substantial advantage to the art, particularly if it did not unduly inhibit the normal toilet bowl flushing or cleaning procedures.